Hiram Walker archive room boasts 155 years of rich history

When it bought Hiram Walker & Sons, Beam Global found dozens of company ledgers stored in an archive room in the basement. These are from the 1890’s and they sit open on Hiram Walkers' desk. (Michelle Maluske / CTV Windsor)

Hiram Walker and his descendants were arguably Windsor's first affluent family.

So much so they built an underground indoor pool, but the room now serves a different purpose. It is the archive room at the Canadian Club Brand Centre, containing 155 years of whisky history.

“Anything with the brand Canadian Club and as far as the past 155 years is in this room,” says CC Brand Ambassador Tish Harcus in as exclusive tour of the archives with CTV News.

The area is under construction because of what is underneath. In the late 1930's Hiram Walkers' grandsons built a frame and closed it over. The ladder is still in place today.

“We're thinking that terrazzo there is the inside of the pool,” says Harcus. “They covered it over with beautiful birch wood. We're ripping up the tiles. We're going to refinish the birch.”

Harcus and her team will give Canadian Club’s history the museum it deserves.

She says there are probably 2,200 prohibition files along with plenty of paperwork detailing life inside the distillery.

“We had what was called the Daily Spirit newspaper on every employee’s desk, every morning with highlights of what going on,” says Harcus.

It includes a vast collection of some of the best counterfeit Canadian Club and some of the worst.

“They tried calling it Canadian Center, Canadian Clan,” says Harcus.

Even though the rum-running days of prohibition are long over, Harcus says this whisky is still being counterfeited.

“We have a full time employee in the UK. All he does is find these people and put them out of business,” she says.